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Thursday, August 6, 2015

12 Days of Back to School Books ~ Day 10 ~ The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis by Sharon Ledwith

"When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down. "

Both the
idea and inspiration came to me through a dream I had around 1998. In this
dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults)
with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had
an Indiana Jones feel to it. At that time, I was writing a
paranormal romance (before there was a distinct genre) and had no intention of
writing a middle-grade/young adult book like The Last Timekeepers. But this
idea kept growing in my mind, and wouldn’t leave, like some mystical force
pushing you from behind. So, I thought I’d challenge myself and write a novel—a
series—that would appeal to my son, who at the time was the target age of my
audience. I’ve always loved the time travel genre, so I imagined the arches I
saw vividly in my dream as time portals. It was a no-brainer for me.

Excerpt
#2:

They were almost inside the glowing archway. Its
light felt warm and welcoming, like the rising summer sun. Treena stuck her
thumbs in the straps of her khaki backpack as if it doubled as a magic
parachute. Amanda mimicked Treena and grasped the straps on Jordan’s backpack
that she was still wearing. Ravi was the only other person wearing one, so all
the rest had nothing to break their fall if that light suddenly cut them loose.

The brilliant, fathomless glow swallowed Amanda,
blinding her. Calm and silence overrode her senses. In that moment, two things
happened—Amanda sensed that there was no separation between her and the
others—as if they were all connected by these tiny threads of light. Second,
she started to feel as though she were free falling, moving fast and out of
control. She regained her vision, just as the white light exploded into a
whirling rainbow.

Drake laughed. “Wicked! This feels like a ride
at Disneyland!”

“It feels better than that!” Jordan replied.
“I’ve been to Disneyland twice, and there’s no ride that even comes close to
this!”

“It’s as if we can fly!” Treena shouted, doing a
somersault in mid-air.

“It does feel wonderful, doesn’t it?” Melody
said dreamily. Amanda grabbed both ankles and flipped herself over. She
giggled. This freedom, this feeling, this flux was awesome. The huge, spiraling
rainbow surrounding the group of seven gently juggled them in mid-air like
floating balls in a never-ending lottery game. She glanced over at Jordan’s
uncle. His cheeks were sucked in, and his body flopped one way then another
like a fish out of water.

“Is your uncle okay, Jordan?” she asked.

Jordan maneuvered over to his uncle by spreading
his arms and legs wide as if he were a free-falling parachutist. He grasped his
uncle’s shoulder and shook him. “Uncle John? Uncle John! Don’t make me slap you
again!”

He reached over, grabbed Jordan, and kissed him
on the forehead. “It’s all true, Jordan! It’s all true!”

Jordan squirmed. “What’s true?”

“Time flows through us,” he answered, his
voice cracking as if he were a young boy again.

The whirling rainbow burst into shards of light,
and they all touched bottom.

It felt soft—like a cushy trampoline—as Amanda,
her classmates, Melody, and Professor Lucas bounced easily until they all stood
still. Then the ground became solid again. Polished marble walls and finely
crafted pillars materialized through the fading light. A sudden high-pitched
buzzing noise made her wince. Everyone seemed to hear it too; they cringed in
unison. The sound of waves crashing against a shore replaced the buzzing, and a
set of deep purple curtains miraculously appeared in front of them. Amanda
rubbed her eyes. In the time it took her to take a breath, the curtains were
drawn. The brilliant white light that had pulled them into the stone arch now
hovered between the open curtains. It started to radiate out, then draw in,
out, then in, changing its shape with each rhythmic movement, until it finally
transformed into a woman.

The woman was beautiful in an otherworldly way.
She had long, fair, flowing hair adorned with quartz crystals. Piercing blue
eyes stared back at Amanda like she was peering into her soul. She had a long
narrow face with high cheek bones that tapered down to a firm chin. Her nose
was long and slender. Amanda smiled at her. The woman smiled back. Her teeth
were white, small, and even. She was perfect in every way. A rich-blue
sleeveless linen robe adorned her slim body, accentuating her ivory skin.

I wonder if she’s a princess. Amanda didn’t doubt it, especially with all the
jewelry the woman wore. A sparkling metallic snake bracelet wound around her
left arm, a string of gleaming pearls and shells hung around her neck, and a
silver belt strewn with various green, blue, and red gems hugged her waist. The
only piece of clothing that didn’t seem to belong was a plain pair of woven
sandals.

Melody pushed Drake behind her and took a few
steps forward. “I demand that you tell us where we are!”

The beautiful woman gave Melody a gentle smile,
and nodded. She opened her arms wide and said, “Welcome to the Temple of
Poseidon, in the City of the Golden Gates.”

Melody jerked. “I-I beg your pardon?”

“Atlantis,” Professor Lucas answered in a
whisper. “We’re in Atlantis.”

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Have you been poshed?

I love posh! My skin feels softer and I know I can trust the ingredients. The best part...it doesn't bother my sensitive skin,

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